I've made steamed dim sum and fried spring rolls, but they're for the children because we're going out to dinner with our very good friends. My friend turns fify today so we are celebrating. I think it's a French restaurant, I dunno. Aubergine. We have to go over to Tinakori Road, which is odd when we all live on this side of town. Still, Tinakori Road has always had nice restaurants. Well, it was a hole when I was a teenager but flew into vogue about a year after I left college and became one of the trendy places to live, when people realised there were benefits of being within walking distance of town and work, and that they didn't have to have their half-gallon, quarter-acre pavlova paradise. When we were just married, Steve and I used to go there for ... quail!! OMG!

Our neighbour over the road had a heart attack. Poor Rob. He described it as not feeling well, a bit of a twinge, and then a truck parking on his chest! We went over to see him, and he showed us the pictures of his artery before they cleared the clot and put in the stent, and after. What a difference, like clearing the debris on a railway line after a slip. He looks a bit shattered, this is his third blockage and he had triple bypass surgery before those. It's a family thing. He's most frustrated because he's not allowed to go snorkelling for a month. He's in his sixties! It's all about getting the most out of life, huh.

Today I just did house stuff. Clearing out junk, tidying shelves, laundry. A very quiet day. Tomorrow, maybe more of the same. I'm not feeling so great so I am happy to just potter around. I'm really tired. And now I'd better go get Asher from soccer practice. Put on a posh bit of clothing. Get ready to go out, huh. I have half an hour... see you.

Comments

The Aubergine sounds nice, (read good things about it on the Web!) so I hope you and you friends enjoyed it!! What did you choose, the menu sounded sort of interesting! And what is quail like? I've seen it on sale but I've never bought it - seems expensive for what you get, but maybe that's a misleading impression!!

There isn't really anything wrong with me, I'm just really tired all the time.

But the restaurant was lovely. It was one of those ones where you just get the meat on a huge plate and have to pay extra for the veges and stuff. I had roasted lamb pieces - shanks? - and it was superb. I declined the bed of peas it was meant to come with, but I shared Steve's mushrooms. And I had roasted prawns on pasta for an entree. That was very nice. They didn't have any quails (just like tiny chickens)! But Steve had snails. QuailSnailNot everyone's cup of tea, huh. Three of the people we were with had chicken sausages. I'd never order a sausage in a restaurant, not even one masquerading as a French sausage...

Your meal sounds lovely, the lamb and the prawns, and especially the mushrooms!!!! No, I wouldn't choose to have sausages at a restaurant either... but obviously they're popular!

There isn't really anything wrong with me, I'm just really tired all the time. I hesitate to mention this... but how are your iron levels at the moment? - just wondering... look after yourself anyway, you are your own boss now, relax when you need to, the housework will keep...*g*

Thanks, I don't know about my iron levels, I try to take my pills. I guess I could have a test. But there is so much stuff to sort, it's like we're sorting out fifteen years of accumulated junk. And there is no storage space to just shove it so I have to keep sorting and moving stuff around the house. I think we'll get there by Easter! But I feel guilty if I sit down for long. Like there's just so much to do. I feel like I'm drowning at the moment. But I'll get there. I have to surely, I throw out at least two bags of rubbish every day at the moment...

The house here is similar really, far too much stuff accumulated over 20 years, far too little space... the garage has boxes of things I just can't find a place for...

We worked frenetically when we first got here, but we ran out of steam long before we were finished...I'm gradually attacking particular areas, (this week it's the garage) but I take weeks off too, when all I do is ordinary housework!!

If you feel like you're drowning in it maybe you need to cut the job down into smaller chunks - aim to get particular areas sorted now, choose others which could be left a while...here the downstairs rooms are quite well sorted but upstairs is still horrific in places...I will get it done... but not before Easter, not even sure if I'll manage it by Christmas!!!!!

As for the iron levels, it might be worth checking... "tired and miserable" is a pretty reliable indicator...

-We worked frenetically when we first got here, but we ran out of steam long before we were finished.I remember all that work! It was a crazy time. I guess slower can be better. And as you say, smaller chunks. But I'm getting impatient. I want to write, not clean and clear and tidy the whole day!!

-As for the iron levels, it might be worth checking... "tired and miserable" is a pretty reliable indicator..Yeah, I guess. It should be okay, I mean, the pills have to work! But I think I might have to try *gasp* going to bed earlier!

But I'm getting impatient. I want to write, not clean and clear and tidy the whole day!!You can, if you want to you know, I realise that there's heaps you want to achieve in the house, the problem is that if you wait till you've finished all that, there will be other things pressing in on your time too! I know that if I waited till I'd finished everything that needed to be done before I painted, or worked on a website, I would have no paintings and a pretty empty cyberspace...you have to schedule time so that you can do the things you enjoy as well as the things you need to get done...you are probably more in control of your time now, than you have been for a long time, but it may not feel like that right now... But you have to take charge...I know you can do it!

Hee, I was just walking past with an armload of socks when you pinged then! -I'll try not to nag any more *g*I'm probably better with nagging. I am a great procrastinator!

-.you have to schedule time so that you can do the things you enjoy as well as the things you need to get done...you are probably more in control of your time now, than you have been for a long time, but it may not feel like that right now... But you have to take charge...I know you can do it!You're right, and I know I can do it... I have to do it!!! it's just, I stand in one of the rooms, and I look at the clutter and stuff, and I just feel like crawling into a dark hole somewhere! I probably need someone to pop round and sit on the bed and make me do it LOL! It's harder because I know Steve is feeling frustrated about it too. But he doesn't do anything to help - he has the odd tantrum at the children and then goes and does stuff outside and I'm eternally trapped in the house! And you're right about waiting until it's all finished. It will never be, huh! Not while the house is full of children. I think I'll give mornings to work and afternoons to me *g*

I'm probably better with nagging. I am a great procrastinator!Well I'll try to nag pleasantly then...

I look at the clutter and stuff, and I just feel like crawling into a dark hole somewhere! I probably need someone to pop round and sit on the bed and make me do it LOL!If I could pop round, we could have coffee and tidy together! but as it is, all I can do is cheer you on from a distance!!

Don't allow yourself to be trapped, set a specific goal or allocate a period of time to tidy the house, then move on to do other things, writing in a room which is tidy, or even outside might help you avoid being distracted into more tidying activity...

I think I'll give mornings to work and afternoons to me *g*That sounds like a good plan *g*

-If I could pop round, we could have coffee and tidy together! Aw, *sniff* that'd be so cool.

-Don't allow yourself to be trapped, set a specific goal or allocate a period of time to tidy the houseI have until 12.30. Then lunch, then I'm going to take my laptop out onto the back deck! How does that sound! We put our old oak dining table out there and there's even a power point. As long as no weta creep out around my ankles from under the deck...

Sounds as if you need a check-up! Just adding my voice to Viv's!!And her advice about smaller chunks of sorting is good, too.

I could do with infecting myself (and Colin even more so) with some of your tidying frenzy. Kat is going to help me with the kitchen cupboards on Wednesday or Thursday. Don't know whether to treat that with relief or dread!!

An extra comment - not really connected with your post - if you have time, go and read the very first post of margaret_r and welcome her to LJ. She's one of my Yahoo writer friends and I think you'd get on!

Great! She's a mother of three and writes beautifully but is very diffident about her abilities. Some of her writing is GLBT friendly and she's one of the zine team/Yahoo writing group. She's helping me turn Harlequin into something publishable, perhaps!

-She's helping me turn Harlequin into something publishable, perhaps!Oooh, how exciting. I was telling someone about Harlequin last night at dinner! This guy is a big, strong Glaswegian and we had an interesting conversation about sleeping with angels (The Vintner's Luck) and my meeting the big H!! He thinks I'll sell my writing better if I have vampires...

I think we're crazy already. There isn't much room for rest in this house!! But I was talking to one of the mums today who has six children so that's double the effort! They have NO money either, so I wonder how they get on. Nice kids though. So I have to feel lucky really.